Learning The Ropes
by xxLivingPuppetxx234
Summary: Sephiroth got a lot more than he expected from a buisness meeting. But is there more to his new slave than meets the eye? Read to find out! Warnings:Lemon/Yaoi,And No ownership.
1. Chapter 1

Learning the Ropes Ch.1

It was morning, an hour or so after dawn, and already the little slave had his master's breakfast in hand as he entered his room. He set it down upon his table.

"Cloud."

The blonde boy snapped to attention, eyes drawn automatically to his own feet.

"Today's your lucky day, boy. You've outgrown your job, so you'll be performing for some friends of mine this afternoon. The one willing to pay the most for you shall be your new master. The maids shall handle you until the auction. Now GO!" His Brunette master commanded.  
Cloud bowed and quietly left the room. He wasn't necessarily afraid of his master, but he wasn't _about_ to _disobey_. His only memories were of living in this house, and serving his master as far back as he could remember; so he saw no reason to behave in any other way but being good, if not a little shy. The only thing Cloud had that might've been a clue to his past was a locket that hung around his neck. He had no clue where he got it, or what was inside, but he knew that it was important. Now, however, it was time to deal with those stupid maids who loved to dress him up in all sorts of girly clothes; their only excuse for the torture he suffered at their freezing hands being: "You're just SOOOO CUUUUTE, Cloud-kun!!!"

Today though, the maids were unusually quiet as they dressed him, undoubtedly sad to see their favorite plaything leave. He now stood behind a curtain that blocked his view of the rest of the ballroom.

"Hey man, you gettin' shipped off too? I think it's only us blondes gettin' sold, cause Seifer, Roxas here, and a couple blonde pool boys are gettin sold too," Tidus, a newer slave that was sometimes mistaken for Cloud remarked, "Hey, d'you think we'll still getta hang out?"

Cloud shrugged at this. He'd be lying if he said he wouldn't miss Tidus, but not being mistaken for someone else would be somewhat of a nice change.

"The curtains are opening..." whispered a frightened Roxas, who'd been clinging to Cloud the entire time. They then heard their master speaking to the large crowd before him.

"Now gentlemen," He said in a voice loud enough to carry to the back of the room, "Allow me to show you today's options. First up is Tidus!"

Soon enough, all of Cloud's friends had been bought off, and it was inevitably his turn. He stood near his master, staring at his feet shyly whilst his master listed off all the types of work he could do. As well as this, he added in a list of all of his good qualities, such as his skills in reading, writing and mathematics.

"But, perhaps Cloud's best quality is his singing ability. Cloud, why don't you sing that song you sang a week ago for our guests? I think they'd like to hear that little tune now."

And with that, Cloud sang.

_"Stars shining bright above you,__  
__Night breezes seem to whisper I love you__  
__Birds singing in the sycamore tree__  
__Dream a little dream of me___

_Sweet dreams til sun beams find you,__  
__Sweet dreams that leave our worries far behind you;__  
__But in your dreams, whatever they be,__  
__Dream a little dream of me." _

By the time Cloud had finished, half of the room had raised their hands. After an extensive round of eager bidding, Cloud was eventually sold to a silver haired man for eight thousand gil, and now found himself seated in a limousine. The driver looked at the silver haired man questioningly and the silver haired man simply stated: "Rufus will be here in a moment."

"Yessir, general." replied the driver, who Cloud would come to call Marcus.

"So, are ya' Rufus' new errand boy, kid?" Marcus asked, winking at Cloud.

"N-no....Who's that?" Cloud stammered shyly.

The driver smiled with a full blown grin, "Oh, he's not that important..... he's just the son of President Shin-ra..."

He paused then, before Cloud offered a look of unwavering confusion.

"Wait, you don't know what SHINRA is? Boy, do they keep these kids sheltered," he chuckled, winking at the silver haired man. He turned around however, and started the car as a person Cloud presumed to be Rufus eventually got in and offered the simple command of "Drive."

Sephiroth's POV  
I had come to the auction because I had to help Rufus with a business deal, not to buy a damn slave for myself. But when that boy sang, I'd suddenly felt an urge to buy him and protect him from all the shady and questionable characters vying for the boy's… _Services_… The boy's face, hair, eyes, and petite little body were enough to set them all drooling. But his voice… even during the nervous start of the song… that voice was mesmerizing. It had not slipped my attention either that although his eyes shone like a new quarter _without_ a mako glow, he almost certainly started to glow greener when he sang. Well, it _is_ Nibelheim. I wonder if he'd ever tell me how he'd come to be exposed. No matter, I'd worry about that when he began to have his withdrawal symptoms.

This POV is evil XD  
Time skip of evil, evil, evilly evil; DOOOOOOOM!(bwa ha ha, XD)

Cloud had graciously been shown around Sephiroth's quarters and the entire SHINRA compound by none other than Marcus himself. Now that he was cleaning Sephiroth's office, he was singing along to the music on Marcus' mp3 player, which he'd let him borrow. He'd been saying something about Cloud needing the exposure to common culture, before he'd roughly thrust the device in the blonde's direction.  
_"I wake up in the morning,__  
__Put on my face.__  
__The one that's gonna get me,__  
__Through another day.__  
__Doesn't really matter,__  
__How I feel inside.__  
__This life is like a game sometimes...___

_Then you came around me,__  
__The walls just disappeared.__  
__Nothing to surround me,__  
__To keep me from my fears__  
__I'm unprotected__  
__See how I've opened up__  
__You've made me trust_

_  
_Sephiroth entered his office, but Cloud paid no attention, too far absorbed in his new found library of popular music.

_'Cuz I've never felt like this before__  
__I'm naked... around you__  
__Does it show? __  
__You see right through me__  
__And I can't hide__  
__I'm naked... around you__  
__And it feels so right..."_

Cloud continued to sing, his voice carrying across the room to the General's ears, and right when the boy paused to breathe, Sephiroth rapped his knuckles firmly on his desk. Cloud startled, before looking up at him. The blonde simply blushed, before turning off the mp3 player.

"Sorry sir," he whispered meekly.

Sephiroth said nothing on the matter, and merely ordered the boy to go get changed to greet the new cadets. It was their Orientation ceremony, and Sephiroth expressed his expectance of Cloud to attend the event with the General himself. Whilst the boy nodded and scurried off to obediently follow his orders, Sephiroth headed to the bathroom to clear his head of the image of his little slave in his birthday suit.

That's the first chapter. Cloud's gonna sing this one in the next one:  
_Every drop of rain that falls in Sahara desert says it all__  
__Its a miracle__  
__All gods creations great and small__  
__The golden gate and the Taj Mahal__  
__That's a miracle__  
__Test tube babies being born__  
__Mothers, fathers dead and gone__  
__Its a miracle___

Can you guess the Artist? See ya around!


	2. Chapter 2

AN #1: Original-Botticella, MischaBleach, Bella216, lady-yuna7, spopococ, Utena-Puchiko-nyu, mimifoxlove, Thrae Elddim, kura-wolf goddess, Tobi-Uchiha, rocquell, and Kitsunefan203, I dedicate this chapter to all of you for your reviews and your help. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it. **Learning the Ropes Chapter 2**

The sight of a sea of flowing black spikes seemed to be rolling by the General's office, which seemed to allure the sight of the blond "prize" that the General had noticed his errand for ShinRa as he watched the rolling spikes making their way towards the door. A soft to loud rapping sound that was at what seemed to anyone who didn't know, a secret knock between the teen on the outside and the General inside, especially if it was something of utter importance.

Sephiroth stood up as he fixed the blond teen with a stare, "I'll get it..."

Not one to question someone of authorities words, Cloud backed down as the rolling black spikes popped in without a "Hello" or "Can I come in?" or question of whether or not it was a bad time, "Hey Seph, just thought I drop on by and see how things went on your..." the teen's words seemed to wander off as his eyes began to eye up and down the supposedly new "toy" that the silver haired General had brought back, "I know ShinRa asked you to go and check into things, but I don't think bring back such a pretty bird with you was part of the deal..."

Cloud seemed to cower back as he saw the unruly mop of black spikes crowding into his personal space; it was something he wished to still keep even if he was considered another person's property, "Zachary, what do you want and please give the boy some space..."

"Yeah, yeah...What's your name kid?" Zack seemed to eye Cloud up and down as he had when he'd walked in.

"C-Cloud...Cloud sir..."Cloud hesitantly spoke up as he watched Zack poking at his unruly spikes, "Who are you, sir?"

Zack was never one to give up the chance to showboat, "Zachary Fair, 2nd Class SOLDIER and bestest buddy of the General here, but you can call me Zack."

"Oh. Okay… Zack," Cloud replied; still shy.

The boy was wearing an outfit that was common for a slave to someone as important as Sephiroth. The difference was the pattern and material used to make it. Usually, a slave's outfit was Shinra red, and carried their master's crest in white on the upper right hand corner. This one, however, was bright sea foam blue and with a flaming Masamune on the back. You could see a ShinRa diamond on the back as well, if you squinted.

Zack's inward smirk grew wider. "_Well aren't _we _special? Seph totally has a thing for him if he did_ this_. I can't wait to tell Angeal& Genesis,"_ he thought excitedly. Genesis would probably flip his lid when he saw cute little Cloud following Sephiroth like a chocobo chick follows its mother. "Well Sephiroth, I gotta go meet up with Angeal. See ya' later, Spiky. Bye, Seph." He said before walking back out of the room. Cloud looked over at Sephiroth and said, "Would you like some more water, Sir?" After that, he went off to clean yet another section of the office, leaving Sephiroth to finish his work in peace.

Meanwhile, Zack went to Angeal's room, and found Genesis there as well.

"Hey guys, guess what!" Zack cried excitedly as he entered the room. "What is it, boy? Is Timmy stuck in the well?" Genesis teased. "Enough, Genesis; please continue, Puppy." Angeal commanded. "Seph's got a new kid working for him! I think Seph has a crush on the little guy! And I can see why, the kid is adorable; he looks like a baby chocobo, for cripes sake!" Zack reported, hopping up and down in his excitement.

"Well, when do WE get to see the pretty little bird?" Genesis asked, interested. "Well, we'll all be at the conference in an hour; so you could meet him then." Zack replied, unsure if Sephiroth would bring the boy. "Did you complete the task I sent you to do?" Angeal asked, unfazed by the news. "Yeah, I left the details for the next mission on his desk," was Zack's calmer reply. "If that's all, then we should go."

After the conference, the trio of firsts met back up with Cloud and Sephiroth in his office.

On the radio, "The Miracle" was playing softly, and Cloud was singing along as he cleaned, not noticing the three newcomers in the room. Meanwhile, all three were staring at the enchanting youth as he sang his song.

"_Every drop of rain that falls in Sahara desert says it all__  
__Its a miracle__  
__All gods creations great and small__  
__The golden gate and the Taj Mahal__  
__That's a miracle__  
__Test tube babies being born__  
__Mothers, fathers dead and gone__  
__Its a miracle"_

Sephiroth entered the room, and Face palmed when he saw the spectacle. "Genesis, Angeal. To what do I owe the pleasure of this unrequested, unannounced visit?" He asked, face blank. "Why, to meet your new companion, of course. Goddess has indeed blessed him, even if he is a slave."Genesis remarked, stepping forward to further examine Cloud's "assets". Cloud bowed to them, holding his feather duster behind his back as he did.

"What a lovely face. Tell me boy, is your skin this soft everywhere? I find that I long to see for myself." He flirted, turning Cloud's face left and right. "Genesis, what did I tell you about touching my things?" Sephiroth scolded, pulling Cloud away from Genesis' grasp.

_  
_Angeal put a hand on Genesis' arm and whispered, "When you touch Cloud that way, you are challenging Sephiroth to a duel. You lost the last time, remember? I know you're still recovering from back then, so don't push your luck, Genesis."

Zack chose this moment to step up and engage Cloud in conversation. "Hey Spike, buddy. How's it going?" he asked casually. "Not bad. First time I ever polished a floor before. My old master had me working as a waiter and mailman of sorts. Like a butler that isn't paid. How are you Zack?"

"Good, but don't cha' get bored with all those chores? I know I would." The puppy commented. Cloud pulled out the mp3 player. "Well, I would be if I didn't have this. But, I need to give it back to the loaner soon. He probably wants it back by now. The two prattled on like that for the rest of the visit.

Sephiroth watched the exchange with a quiet interest. Zack was the first person to charm Cloud into speaking so comfortably; the first one to take a crack at solving the mystery of who the boy really was, whether he realized it or not. However, when Zack left, Cloud stood obediently by Sephiroth's side as they bid the others goodbye.

"Well, pretty good, I guess. Angeal and I have the day off now, so I'm going to go under the plate for four or five good hotdogs." Zack informed his new little friend. In his opinion, a good friend was exactly what the kid needed.

When they were gone, Sephiroth received a call that was to remind him of a check up he had scheduled that day. He made Cloud sit in the waiting room while he got his shots. He was almost done, when Hojo informed him of a new formula he needed to test. He needed Sephiroth and a control, such as the slave boy he had recently acquired. Sephiroth agreed, not knowing the world of trouble it would cause.

**AN #2: Many thanks to my reviewers, again. (Laugh) You gave me the motivation to continue this story, rather than delete it. For those who don't really appreciate the songs in this fan fiction, just know that it **_**does**_** have a purpose. It will become clear within the next few chapters. And a VERY special thanks to my super special awesome beta-reader, spopococ. If you've never read her work, you should, because she's simply brilliant. And to my dear, dear friend Kitsunefan203. She has saved me from the evils of crushing writer's block more than once, while also being the co-author of my other story **_**The Tiger and The Chocobo.**_** Thank you to all of those who read my story and haven't reviewed yet. You must've liked it a little bit, to read this chapter too. Arigatou Gozaimasu to you all. (But reviews tell me what I can improve on, so don't be shy and help a girl out. I REALLY appreciate it.) Sayonara!**


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